Eschallot



W. L. FLETCHER.

ESCHALLOT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 8. 1920.

Patented De@.2s,1920.

TTYS

M o0 fw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ESCHALLOT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

Application filed March 8. 1920. Serial No. 364,316.

T o all L0 710m t may concern.'

Be it known that I, WARREN L. FLETCHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Reading, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Eschallot's, of which the following is a specification.

Heretofore eschallots associated with reed pipes in organs, have been made of sheet metal, bent into substantially tubular form, and provided at one side with a longitudinal face, the transverse continuity of which is interrupted by a longitudinal opening, communicating with the interior or bore of the sheet metal tube. The face and opening are in some cases provided by bending the edge portions of a sheet metal blank to form two flat flanges lying in the same plane and forming the face, the said flanges being spaced apart to form the opening. In other cases the tube is truncated, or cut away at one side to form the face and opening.

rIhe manufacture of eschallots from sheet metal is a relatively difficult and expensive operation.

In the present state of the art of voicing reed pipes intended to produce that peculiar keen, cutting, and nasal tone, imitative of the orchestral oboe, the English horn, and similar instruments, when the eschallot is of sheet metal, it is necessary to employ an eschallot of comparatively small diameter, the opening in the face being narrow and the tongue narrow, thin and delicate. The voicer in curving or shaping this small tongue, requires much skill and patience, and has to expend much time, otherwise the pipe will be of inferior tone, will fly off pitch easily, and will be lacking in tuning range. The delicate tongue is very sensitive to foreign substances lodging under it. A pipe having a sheet metal eschallot, even when well voiced, is sensitive and easily damaged by inexperienced tuners and repair men.

The object of my invention is to avoid the above-recited and other objections to sheet metal eschallots, and to provide an eschallot, the face of which may be wider than is feasible in sheet Ametal construction, said face permittingthe use of a correspondingly wide tongue which may be thicker than heretofore, and adapted to be more easily and accurately manipulated by the voicer.

Another object is to provide an eschallot, the form of which is the chief factor in imparting to the pipe the desired tone quality, so that the latter is not as dependent, as heretofore, on the tongue.

To the above-mentioned and other related ends the invention consists in the improvement which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part' of this speciiication,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an eschallot embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 .shows the eschallot in section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and the eschallot and the tongue in section on line 2 2 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the eschallot provided with two grooves. l

Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the device as applied to an organ pipe.

Fig. 5 is the tongue hereinafter referred to.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

My improved eschallot is composed of a solid elongated metal rod or body 12, preferably of brass, flattened at one side from end to end to form `a longitudinal face 18. In the body I form a longitudinal groove 14, the sides of which are substantially parallel with each other, and intersect the face 13, so that the groove interrupts the continuity of the face. The width of the face is determined by the thickness or diameter' of the body 12, so that a face may be provided of suitable width, to coperate with the usual tongue 16. The body l2 may be provided with a groove of any desired width and depth, both width and depth of the groove determining the tone quality, so that an ungrooved body 12 of standard size may be adapted to produce either of a plurality of different tones, by the simple operation of forming therein a groove of the desired dimensions.

The area of the face 13 is determined by the width and length of the groove. The quality of the tone produced may be varied by varying the area of the face, and by varying the depth of the groove.

If desired, the body 12 may be provided with a plurality of grooves 14, as shown by Fig. 3.

I have found that an eschallot body formed as shown and described, is less ex .if

pensive and easier to manufacture than a sheet metal eschallot, and as above stated,

permits the employment of a relatively wide and thick tongue, which may be readily manipulated by the voicer, requires `for its manipulation less skill and expenditure `oi time, and is not readily disturbed by foreign substances lodged between it and the face of the eschallot.

It Will be seen that the described eschallot may be produced at a minimum expense for time and labor, by first longitudinally truncating an elongated solid rod 12 of circular cross section to forni a. straight flat face 13, adapted to cooperate throughout its entire length with Jthe usual tongue and tuning Wire, and extendingfrom end to end of the rod, and then longitudinally slotting the rod to form a longitudinal groove 141-, opening on the face 13, closed at one end by a transverse portion of said face, and open at the opposite end, 'as shown by Figs. 1 and Ll.

It will also be seen that the face 13 and the Walls of the groove 11i are solidly backed by the metal of the rod, as shown by Fios. 2 and 3, so that the groove may have any desired Width and depth, to determine the area of the face 13 and the quality of the tone produced.

1 claim:

An eschallot composed of an elongated solid rod, having at one side a straight Hat face, adapted to cooperate throughout its entire length With the usual tongue and tuning Wire, and extending from end to end oi the rod, said rod being longitudinally slotted to form a longitudinal groove opening on said face, closed at one end by a transverse portion of the rod, and open at its opposite end, the said. face and groove walls being solidly backed by the metal of the rod, so that the groove may have any desired length and Width to determine the area or' said face, and any desired depth, the quality of the tone produced being dependent on the area of the face and the depth of the groove.

ln testimony whereof I have aliixed my signature.

WARREN L. FLETCHER. 

